The present invention relates to a lab analog for insertion into a cavity in a printed model and for accommodating an abutment.
Lab analogs of this type are used, for example, in modeling prosthetic tooth restorations which are fixed in the jaw of a patient with the aid of implants.
It is known to scan teeth in three dimensions with the aid of digital scanners. The data obtained are used to produce so-called printed models (impressions) using 3D printers. If a prosthetic tooth restoration that is supported by implants is to be individually prepared for a patient, a “scan body” is screwed into an implant which is anchored in the jaw of a patient. The scan body is, for example, shaped like a post with one or more flat surfaces and is recognized when the teeth are scanned. It reproduces the exact orientation of the implant and thus serves for subsequent exact positioning of an abutment in (on the) printed model. The prosthetic tooth is then modeled onto the abutment in the printed model and later screwed into the implant in the patient's jaw together with the abutment.
In order to be able to connect the printed model with the abutment, lab analogs are provided in the printed model that, like the actual implant in the jaw of the patient, comprise appropriate platforms for the selected abutments. In order to be able to anchor the lab analog in the printed model, a cavity is provided into which the lab analog is subsequently inserted. The cavity is stored in the digital data set and when the printed model is printed, it is directly generated. The configuration of the cavity and its position are selected in dependence of the scan body and the shape of the corresponding lab analog.
Because of the manufacturing tolerances during generation of the printed model and tolerances during generation of the abutment, exact positioning of the abutment in the printed model is very difficult. Modeling the prosthetic tooth on the abutment so that it subsequently fits seamlessly into the teeth of the patient is thus extremely difficult.